1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a comfortable, noncumbersome system for keeping a medication inhaler immediately accessible for use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are a wide variety of different medical conditions which require people to administer medication by inhalation. For example, asthmatic conditions, allergies, bronchial conditions, and other medical conditions and diseases require patients to employ medications that are inhaled. Such medications are often packaged in small, generally cylindrical, pressurized metal canisters, typically about one inch in diameter and about two inches in length. The medication canister has a medication dispensing end at which a valve is located, and an opposite, closed end. To extract medication from the canister a medication inhaler is required. A medication inhaler is constructed with a hollow body open at one end and having a generally cylindrical cavity to receive the canister therein.
The medical conditions that require the administration of medication by inhalation are often typified by lengthy dormant periods, punctuated by sudden onsets of attacks which leave the patient gasping for breath. For patients with such conditions it is extremely important for the medication inhaler to be readily at hand so that medication can be administered at once in the event of such an attack. To utilize the medication inhaler in which the medication is carried, the user places the mouthpiece between his or her lips and presses the medication inhaler. Pressing the inhaler ejects a measured amount of medication in a fine mist from the pressurized container which the user then inhales deeply into the bronchial passages. If medication is administered immediately in this manner, the sudden attack will usually quickly subside. However, rapid administration of the medication is extremely important in order to deal with such an attack. Therefore, patients who suffer from conditions such as an asthma, allergies, and other medical conditions requiring the use of inhalers must be ever vigilant so as to have their medication inhaler readily at hand.
Because long periods may elapse between attacks, a patient is quite likely to forget to transfer an inhaler with its medication canister from one set of clothing to another or from one purse to another. Also, even if a person has remembered to carry the medication inhaler in a pocket or in a purse, it still may be difficult to reach at the onset of an attack. For example, if the patient experiences an attack while driving or riding in a vehicle, it may be quite difficult and time-consuming to extract the medication inhaler from a pocket or purse. Consequently, the problem of immediate inhalation medication accessibility has plagued sufferers of bronchial conditions for years.